Your Work is Your Song

What we do is our song – our actions, emotions, the way we walk down the street, and the way we create our desired results – or not, how we speak, move, breathe, solve problems, celebrate success, deal with disappointment – you get it. We’re all playing our songs: solo; in duets, trios, quartets, and sometimes in choirs & choruses. Let’s look at our work through the metaphor of music.

In one sense, we can say that there are two general types of music we play: 

1) The music the players wish to play/dream of playing/intend to play—the vision.

2) Their default music—the stuff that can be generated without thought or intention.The themes and modes that have been programmed into our very selves since we were born, and that we can call up with one click of our remote control. The music produced at work is a combination of these. 

The vision music is the creative, cutting edge, fun, productive work. The default setting is that same madness of trying to get a different result by doing more and more of the same thing. The theme could be: “It’s like trying to climb a muddy hill to get all the departments to cooperate and to get anything done around here.” It’s been played over and over, and when the next project is approached from the same place, the song will be played again. 

The best work, that produces innovation, breakthroughs, and extraordinary results, comes from players that are composing and performing their dream music; they’re going for their vision. Though the song doesn’t always sound like the dream they had in their head, its music resonates with originality and insight. Mediocre results come from players imitating and regurgitating the same-old-same-old. As in the over-worn jingle put out when under pressure and they feel there’s no time to produce something new. Or maybe a re-run of the dissonant team theme, sung for years, that no one has stopped and taken the time to rewrite the harmonies. 

Let us look at some business terms and transpose them into the music metaphor:

• Vision—The music/songs/themes we wish to create and live

• Mission—The impact we would like our songs to have

• Teamwork—Playing as a tight band rather than a group of talented, but unaligned noodlers

• Culture—The genre of your music, it’s history, values, norms, traditions, are you hip/classic, innovative/derivative, risk-taking/conservative…

• Strategies—Responding from within an innovative structure to the music of the culture and our bandmates to manifest the vision

• Innovation—New, original music. Not playing the same old tune in the same old way

• Leadership—Conveying a compelling vision to the band and responding appropriately to the needs of the band members and the listeners to make the vision happen

• Time management—Keeping time and playing together in complementary rhythms

• Clients—The listeners and consumers of the music; you’re playing for them

Musicians know, one of the most important components of playing is listening. It’s not just about what I put out, but how that interacts with the other players, and what they are putting out. How do the parts mesh? What is the interaction rhythmically? What’s happening harmonically? How can I make it more interesting? It may be more interesting by me playing less. 

I think the musical parallel that old-style management sought for was like a well-rehearsed symphony orchestra. The parts scored out by the genius composer far in advance are like the old methods of strategic planning—map it out and execute it. Practice and train your workforce like schooled musicians. The first violins are sales, the cellos are HR—no, maybe the violas, they don’t get much respect either.

The issue with this model is that today’s marketplace demands change, innovation, adaptation, and response. In our old symphony model, adaptation might mean having the woodwinds play a little softer on the opening of the 2nd movement, but what’s needed in the marketplace today is probably a whole new band, a new tune, and playing at a venue across the world. 

Paul Kwiecinski

Managing Partner, Face The Music

After the philharmonic rehearsal in which the conductor left early and left the sections leaders instructions to practice certain passages with their people, the second chair trumpet comes up to one of the viola players and says, “I hate to bring this to you, but I felt you should know: I have it from good sources that the conductor is at your house right now having an affair with your wife.” The viola player looks surprised, almost dumbstruck, but finally blurts out in disbelief, “The conductor came to my house?!”